The New Akatsuki
by 4Dragons
Summary: The Ten Tailed Bijuu was the most powerful creature ever to exist. It was not easily beaten, when it's future was under threat it changed the past. With new purpose and a new leader Akatsuki would be unstoppable. The only one who can stand in their way is Naruto Uzumaki. And this time Akatsuki may get more than they bargained for! Strong Naruto, Pairings undecided
1. The Feared Copy Ninja!

**Intro: I HAVE RETURNED! I'm hoping some people have been waiting for this moment, but I'm realistic enough to know my absence probably hasn't consumed your very lives. All the same I'm back now and I have begun rewriting my first Fanfiction: The New Akatsuki. This rewrite is very different to the first version, but I'm hoping it's different better rather than... the other thing. All the same here it is, enjoy it**

**I do not own any rights to the anime Naruto.**

* * *

Space time techniques are, as a general rule of thumb, best avoided. People who meddle with things like that usually end up dead or worse, scattered across time, crushed into miniature black holes and so on, it was dangerous and complicated and not worth it. Space time techniques, as a rule, are bad news

The ten tailed Bijuu, most powerful creature in the known world, did not know this rule. Then again the great demon had been having a very bad day, really it couldn't have gotten any worse, it's powers bound into a human, _again_, Stinking Uchiha with their blasted Sharingan. No. Space time jutsu couldn't make this any worse, and just might make it better, so the Bijuu called up its greatest powers and changed history.

What the ten tails needed was a vessel, a better one then the giant statue it had used the first time. A human vessel, one armed with Byakugan, Sharingan and Rinnegan, someone capable of using all bloodline limits and all techniques, someone to personally organise the hunting of each of the Bijuu rather than leaving it all to the Akatsuki. And most important of all, the ten tails needed someone to kill the Uchiha, the snake Orochimaru and Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

Three-and-a-bit years ago the aforementioned Uzumaki was sneaking through a window in the Hokage's tower. Once inside he searched through the passages until he found what he was looking for, the vault library, where Mizuki had promised him the Forbidden scroll would be stored. Naruto adjusted the scroll on his back which he was planning to substitute for the forbidden scroll and stepped inside. He saw the scroll straight away and wandered over to it and took it. That was easy, out of curiosity he opened it and looked at the techniques inside. Next to the first jutsu (which was about clones or something) was its rank, S rank, cool. The second jutsu was a thing called a Rasengan, it was A rank. Naruto looked down the list of all the ranks. SAS, sassy, Naruto chuckled. The next group was even better, ASS ranks. Wait there was more: ASSES ranks. He wished he could copy this scroll to look at later, imagine how useful it would be to have like thirty S and A rank jutsu? He'd be Hokage in no time! Then he decided to check the E rank technique on the scroll because it was probably easy. It was a jutsu for copying scrolls, instantly.

What are the F*#king odds of that?

This was a stroke of luck beyond anything Naruto had expected, he read the instructions for the copying jutsu carefully. He was sure he could do it, and he had a blank scroll right on his back. The technique worked, unbelievably it worked, and there were now two identical forbidden scrolls. Naruto was going to put one back so they wouldn't know he'd taken it, but he also wanted to study his copy, so he took both and stashed one at his apartment, then he went to the forest were Mizuki would meet him and started to work on the scroll, beginning with the clone technique, Shadow Clone Jutsu.

It was a fair while before he was found, Iruka, his academy sensei found him.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked Naruto

"I did it Iruka, I learnt a new jutsu, am I a ninja now?"

"Huh?"

"That makes uh, one, two, three, four, five jutsu!" Naruto said happily, "Total ninja!"

Iruka had only ever seen Naruto successfully use substitution, transformation and the underhanded sexy jutsu, but he was getting side tracked, Naruto had stolen a valuable (and very well guarded) scroll.

"Stop Naruto!" Iruka said. Naruto stopped doing cool ninja poses and looked at him in confusion. "Why have you stolen the most valuable scroll in the village?"

"Mizuki sensei told me to" Naruto said and at the same time:

"Because I told him to." Mizuki said, having appeared in a tree.

"Hi Mizuki! I did it!" Naruto said, then he frowned. Mizuki was looking at him funny, with hate. "does that mean I'm a ninja now?" Naruto said hopefully.

"Actually you're dead now." Mizuki said and he threw one of the huge shuriken on his back. Naruto closed his eyes and waited for the impact but Iruka blocked the attack with his own body.

* * *

Stuff happened, Mizuki told Naruto he was an evil demon which was a bit of a shock, Iruka told him he was a good person, which was comforting. Then Naruto fled with the scroll while Iruka and Mizuki fought it out.

Mizuki was getting annoyed, he had been hoping to kill Naruto and take the forbidden scroll quickly, but Iruka had spoilt his plans, still, at least it wasn't a jonin who had found him. There was the demon brat ahead, the scroll under his arm. Mizuki transformed into Iruka and came up behind him, but Naruto dropped his own transformation revealing himself to be Iruka. Mizuki was now really pissed off and wasted no time in beating Iruka to the ground and going for the kill. Naruto came from nowhere to stop him, and then he was everywhere. Iruka and Mizuki gaped at the hundreds of Naruto clones.

Mizuki never stood a chance.

With Mizuki semiconscious on the ground Naruto dispersed his clones, he grinned at the satisfying memory of hitting Mizuki in the face and wondered how he also had memory of standing guard over the forbidden scroll, plus a bunch of other views. He decided he'd work that out later and went over to Iruka. Iruka was hurt, but not too badly, he told Naruto to close his eyes and tied his headband around the blonde's head. That was where the ANBU ninja found them.

* * *

The rest of that day was awkward, the teams needed reconsidering with Naruto now in the group of gennin, what's more the holes in the scroll library's security needed to be tightened. Naruto needed to be questioned too, which took a while. All of this was quite a headache to the Hokage.

Naruto was ignorant to the woes of the man in the job he wanted, having been cleared of suspicion and told to be at the team selections Naruto was then free to go home. He had the whole weekend to read his copy of the forbidden scroll. He had trouble with reading but he was quickly able to learn that shadow clones gave him their memories when dispelled. He decided to send a clone to the library to learn to read better. He also sent a clone to get ramen, as he didn't want to leave the scroll. In fact Naruto started using clones for everything, it was then that he started discovering their flaws, they dispelled when damaged, even if it was only a small injury and they also dispelled if they used too many jutsu. The more chakra Naruto used to make a clone the more jutsu it could use, but creating good clones left him tired.

Naruto had read and re-read the scroll copying jutsu on the forbidden scroll, it was E rank because it was easy, all you had to do was focus your chakra into the scroll and it practically worked itself. Anyone could do it, which was why it was an A rank secret, or something. Even Naruto could understand how much this jutsu would be worth if word of it got out. The best bit of all, for him, was that his clones could copy up to three books using the jutsu without dispelling themselves. Naruto spent practically all of his savings on blank scrolls and empty books so that he could copy all the books he wanted, he could call himself the copy ninja! No book would be safe!

Naruto's favourite books included: Social Interaction for Dummies, The Hierarchy of Summons: Place of the Ponies, The History of the Time War and the ever helpful Learning to Read: Illustrated Edition. With all these books Naruto had finally learnt to read, although The Time War was still too tricky, and he had no idea what a Dalek was meant to be.

Naruto had been working down the forbidden scroll looking for the most interesting jutsu, so far he had Shadow Clones and the Copy technique. Exploding Shadow Clones and the Rasengan were next on his list. He nearly forgot he had to show up to the team selections.

* * *

He found himself sitting next to Sasuke Uchiha, the prodigy of Konoha, or something. Sasuke was everything Naruto wanted to be, popular, cool, and powerful, probably lined up to be the next Hokage. He also had fangirls, Naruto wasn't so sure about that, but it must be better than being ignored. Particularly because Sasuke got Sakura, the girl Naruto had a crush on. Speaking of fangirls Sakura and her rival Ino arrived in a sprint, both determined to sit next to Sasuke and not pleased to see the seat already taken.

Sakura threw Naruto out of the seat and across the classroom. Naruto wished he'd sent a clone in instead of sitting down himself, he decided he should probably work on his substitution. He switched places with a clone before heading back over. He hopped up on Sasuke's desk and glared at him, then someone bumped him from behind and he received a very unexpected first kiss. Well, the clone received the kiss, Naruto was under a transformation at the back of the class. The clone also received the beating, as all the girls in the world, so it seemed, leapt at the Naruto clone with murder in their minds. Naruto stuck his tongue out in disgust at the memory of the kiss, and then winced at the memory of the beating.

The Uchiha's groupies hunted for him but soon lost interest so Naruto dropped his transformation. Hinata, who was now sitting behind him, fainted in shock but he didn't notice.

Iruka read out the teams, Ino, Choji and Shikamaru were under Asuma. Hinata, Kiba and Shino were under Kurenai. Sakura and Sasuke were with Naruto under someone called Kakashi. The Jonin instructors entered and left with their teams leaving Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke alone.

"Where is he?" Sakura asked.

* * *

Kakashi Hatake was always late. It was a well-known habit of his, and it was fun. He enjoyed always being late. He was late now, two and a half hours late, according to the screaming girl in the room he was heading too.

"OUR SENSEI IS TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATE! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY TAKE SO LONG?!"

Kakashi winced, that voice could be weaponised. He thought back to the profile he had been given.

Sakura Haruno, the girl had scored well in the written test. Dismally in the practical, she was also a worthless fangirl by all accounts. There was more but Kakashi hadn't bothered with it. The only profile he had fully read was that of Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke was the last Uchiha and the only survivor from the massacre of his clan. Kakashi had known Sasuke would be in his team, when his old teammate, Obito Uchiha, had died, Rin, his other teammate, had given Kakashi an eye transplant at Obito's request. This meant he was the only sharingan user who could teach Sasuke his bloodline abilities.

As soon as he entered the room the pink haired girl turned to him and started screaming at him.

"WHAT TIME DO YOU *% $ #$*#! CALL THIS?" She screamed. Kakashi blinked, he'd never heard that swear word before.

"TWO AND A HALF HOURS! TWO HOURS OF SITTING WITH SASUKE AND #$%& ! ING NARUTO AND JUST %$% $* " She continued. She showed no signs of stopping and while Kakashi was impressed by her vocabulary he did not want his eardrums burst.

He disappeared and reappeared behind her, clapping a hand over her mouth. He glanced around the room, Sasuke was brooding against a wall, hands bunched in his shirt and stuffed over his ears. He lowered his hands now with a subtle look of relief. Kakashi glanced around for Naruto. Naruto came into the room sheepishly. The clone he had placed had been dispelled after falling out of its chair.

Kakashi finally took his hand off Sakura's mouth.

"I'm sorry Sensei, I was just so angry, it's Naruto, I tried to hit him and it was a clone, then another clone and another clone. He's just so annoying and he-"

"Shut up." Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi sighed.

"First impressions? A team of idiots. Meet me at the roof."

Naruto left the room before Sakura could take her anger out on him, as she had been doing for most of the morning. He wondered why he liked her, maybe he should move on. But she was so _pretty_. Well, no she wasn't really petty, just good looking. Anyway.

It had been two hours since he had last made a clone to go and take over from the one reading the copied scroll, so he made a clone to do that. He wandered up to the roof while he waited for the memories. He got two sets, one set of the clone reading the scroll, the clone had finally worked out exactly how to detonate itself for the exploding shadow clone jutsu. It had taken the other clone out of town and demonstrated. The explosion was big enough to destroy the clone watching at a "safe" distance. Naruto grinned, the explosion was awesome. He made another clone to read the forbidden scroll.

Naruto's mind was filled with pyromania as he imagined what the exploding clones could do; Kakashi saw him and shivered at the wicked grin on his face.

"Snap out of it!" Sakura snapped and hit Naruto on the head. She actually managed to get the real one this time. Naruto scowled and the three of them sat down opposite Kakashi. Naruto immediately lay back and closed his eyes. He looked asleep but he was meditating, apparently he could communicate with his clones mentally if his mind was open, whatever that meant. Sasuke started brooding at the same time and Sakura watched him.

* * *

Kakashi started speaking, concerned that his team could sit like this for the whole day.

"Now, I want you each to introduce yourself to me, and tell me a bit about yourselves."

"What do we say?" asked Sakura. Kakashi sighed

"If I knew what you were going to say I wouldn't ask." Kakashi said wearily. "Say the usual stuff: likes, dislikes, dreams. Now, you first"

"Huh? Oh, well I'm Haruno Sakura, I love Sasuke and I hate Naruto and Ino Yamanaka, especially Naruto. My dream is to-"

"Keep this G rated" Naruto muttered quietly, unfortunately Sakura heard him. Wack! Poof!

Naruto sighed, from where the real him was perched on a roof below, before re-joining the group.

"Moving on, Sasuke, your turn." Kakashi said.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I like nothing, I dislike fools and girls."

"Hypocrisy" Naruto said, he'd found the word in a dictionary yesterday, it fit well. Sasuke apparently hadn't read the dictionary as he ignored it, Sakura apparently had, as she screamed in anger and attacked Naruto. Wack! Poof!

"What's hypocrisy?" Sasuke asked Kakashi. Kakashi hesitated, not particularly wanting to start a war, but not wanting to lie. He decided to tell Sasuke.

"Basically hypocrisy is when someone says something rude, and it applies to them too."

"Naruto called me a fool and a girl?" Sasuke asked.

"Well when you put it that way…" Kakashi said warily.

Naruto returned to the roof after his clone was dispelled and stepped straight into Sasuke's punch.

Wack! "Ow!"

Sasuke was pleased to hit the real Naruto first try.

Wack! Poof!

How did he escape that one? Sasuke wondered.

He went to hit the next Naruto that appeared but Kakashi held him back.

"Enough! You've had your go at each other, now sit down, Sasuke hadn't finished." The three genin returned to their seats, Naruto was grinning while Sasuke and Sakura glared at him.

"I have no dream, but I have an ambition, I will become strong, the strongest ninja to ever live and then I will kill the man who murdered my clan." Sasuke sat straight and proud and Sakura sighed adoringly. Naruto had been counting down on his fingers and had now reached zero.

"And now,"

"Me! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like ramen and everyone who buys me ramen. I especially like Iruka sensei and the old man Hokage." Naruto said brightly, then he turned angry "I dislike, a lot of things, people who treat me like dirt. The Uchiha did it, the Hyuuga do it. The Uchiha earnt what they got, and the Hyuuga deserve it too." Scilence followed this announcement, then Naruto's face brightened. It was as if there was a second Naruto, so sudden was the change. "I'm gonna be the best ninja ever, I'll be the Hokage and everyone will respect me!" Sasuke snorted in derision. Naruto got a pranksters grin on his face. "Until then people will fear me, Konoha's greatest prankster! Naruto Uzumaki is out!" He turned to leap onto a nearby roof, "Oh, Sasuke and Sakura, I wouldn't get up too quickly if I were either of you, which I am fortunately not." Then he left.

I wonder what that was about. Kakashi thought, then he remembered something.

"That's right, meet me tomorrow morning at training ground seven for a survival test, a real test. Don't eat breakfast, you'll just throw up." Kakashi went after Naruto to tell him the same thing.

"So Sasuke, I was wondering that, since we're on the same team, you might like to have lunch with me?" Sakura asked, leaning across toward her crush hopefully.

Sasuke leapt to his feet to flee

Rrriippp!

Uh oh, Sasuke looked down, the seat of his pants was stuck to the chair, the rest of his pants were with him, and he had a gaping hole over his butt. Sakura nearly fainted. Sasuke ran to get a change of clothes so fast he left a trail of dust in his wake. After an extremely akward experience with the village ANBU and a quick stop over in his flat Sasuke set out (with new pants) to make Naruto pay. Meanwhile Sakura had also stood up too quickly and also ripped her pants off. She did the sensible thing and waited to go home until dark.

* * *

Akatsuki was all gathered in a huge room, they had all come personally, Sasori and Deidara, Kakuzu and Hidan, Itachi and Kisame had already arrived, none of them were particularly sure what they were doing, all they knew was that the leader had summoned them. The leader faced them now, all six of him.

"Why are there six Pains?" Kakuzu asked Hidan.

"I don't know, but it makes me wonder why he can't get all the tailed beasts himself." Hidan responded. "My master, the holy and most evil Jashin would not approve of such laziness"

Fortunately Pain didn't hear him.

"What are we doing here?" Kakuzu asked.

"Zetsu called the meeting." One of the six Pains said.

"Where is Zetsu?" Kisame asked.

"Here." Zetsu said, growing out of the ground.

"I hate it when he does that." Kisame said.

"Whats going on, Zetsu?" Deidara asked.

"We need one more person." Pain pointed out. In a soft wind paper floated into the room and folded itself into Konan, the last member of Akatsuki.

"We're clear here." Konan reported.

"Explain, Zetsu."

"Because of him." Zetsu said he didn't bother to point because at that moment Tobi skipped into the chamber humming "Off to see the Wizard"

"Here they are Zetsu. I Brought them for you. I did good didn't I?" Tobi said brightly.

Three more figures entered the room, they were early teenaged at the most, children in the opinions of Akatsuki.

"Is this a joke?" Kisame asked.

"What is this?" Pain asked.

One of the figures stepped forward. He was about thirteen, his face was pale and his brown hair was limp, he looked sick but he had an aura of, something.

"Nagato, I had hoped to see your true face. For whilst we spent so long together we never met personally."

That caused something of a stir amongst Akatsuki, the logical option was that the boy was inventing what he was saying of the top of his head, but there was something about him.

Kisame made a mental list of all the Akatsuki and ranked this boy against them, the creepy kid was certainly scarier the he, Kisame, was, he also beat Deidara and Konan, Sasori too, at a stretch, and he was around equal with Hidan, Kakuzu and Zetsu. Kisame was trying to decide whether Itachi was creepier then Sasori and if he was scarier than Deidara when Pain spoke.

"What is your name?"

"My name means nothing, all that matters is the ten tails, the plan."

"How do you know about the ten tails?" Pain asked, surprised and more then a little worried. "How do you know of the plan?"

**I AM THE TEN TAILS"**

The new voice was so completely shocking all six Pains and Konan jumped in shock, the rest of Akatsuki all took steps back into ready positions. Tobi ran.

The new voice was pure power, an explosive force that made Deidara's bombs look like toys. It was a thunderous rumble, an earthquake. As it spoke a massive aura of red chakra burnt around the figure of the boy, changing his shape into something else, something from a nightmare.

The dreadful energies faded as quickly as they had come and the boy returned to his sick appearance.

"You have lead Akatsuki this far, but soon you will lead them astray, This is my time now, and I am going to use it. This is the end Nagato, I will lead Akatsuki."

* * *

**AN: And that's that, Chapter one. I was honestly expecting to get one of my other fanfics posted before this one, but for some reason I wanted to come back to this one first.**

**This time I'll do my best to answer everybody's reviews, so please review!**

**-4D**


	2. Oh, there's already a Copy Ninja

"Hiii-yah! Without your pants." Naruto declared as he arrived at training ground seven for Kakashi's test.

Sakura proceeded to try and kill him.

"Piss off" Sasuke said.

Naruto evaded Sakura with little effort, and then he tripped her up. He had now truly gotten over his crush on her.

"Did you two have a romantic evening? Or did one of you stand up too fast? Those are different pants aren't they Sasuke? They look exactly the same."

Naruto's barrage of questions bewildered Sasuke for a moment. He used his usual tactic for when things were difficult, glare. Naruto was unfazed by the look, he was busy with Sakura's renewed assault. Eventually she gave up and resumed her morning round of Sasuke gazing.

"So, ready for the test?" Naruto asked. His teammates looked uncomprehending.

"We had a whole day to get ready, and Kakashi said it was a survival test." He explained, as if this made it obvoious.

"What?" Sakura asked, "Ready how? Don't we just try and pass?" Naruto sighed, stupidity should be a crime, the whole world would be facing criminal charges and these two would be public enemies one and two. Given fifteen hours (and counting) of warning and Sakura had just turned up? It defeated the point of being a ninja.

"Somebody in a book once said, well… wrote, but anyway, someone once wrote "if I had four hours to cut down a tree I'd spent the first two sharpening my axe." Or something like that. The point is, with fifteen hours to get ready you've done nothing. Think it through."

"Since when did you think?" Sasuke asked.

"Since Saturday morning." Naruto said proudly. Then he closed his eyes and meditated a moment.

_Naruto online, are we go?_

_The party is in the house, our host is still asleep. He really does have a sharingan eye too._

_He's still asleep? Seriously? Late night maybe. So are we go for the missing pants trick?_

_Pants is go, underwear is prepped, Jacket is primed and we replaced his headband too. Can we take off his mask?_

_Better not, he might realise what we're doing, Naruto out._

Naruto opened his eyes, he had learnt how to communicate with his clones telepathically yesterday evening. The preparations were done, he was a bit disappointed, as he'd been hoping to call himself the copy ninja, now he found out that there already was one. He'd need to change titles, the number one master prankster still looked good. He meditated again to get info from another clone he had.

_Naruto here, got my ramen?_

_I, uh, ate it._

_Do clones get hungry?_

_I don't, but it just smelled so good._

_Looks like I will be missing breakfast after all. Maybe I should get my ramen personally from now on._

_But ramen._

_But… I'm hungry now. Stuff you clone, Naruto out._

Naruto opened his eyes. Stupid clones ate all his food. They had cleaned out his Pocky supply yesterday too while he was asleep. A forbidden scroll movie night with snacks. It was a good memory, but maybe there were downsides to the shadow clones after all. Then he thought of the exploding clone jutsu and the chaos that would soon ensue, clones were amazing.

He had time, with a clone ready to run and warn him when Kakashi was on the way he would be well forewarned when the Jonin was approaching. ( He needed it to tell him personally as he could only hear the clones in his head if he meditated) He crossed his fingers in the ram seal and summoned thirty shadow clones. He didn't want to waste too much chakra on the clones. Those clones then made more clones, which made more clones. The shadow clones this resulted in were pathetic, but still useable for training, and there were around four hundred of them. They immediately got to work on ballroom dancing.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked bewildered as some four hundred Narutos paired up and started doing the foxtrot.

"Well, we haven't got the lindy hop just right yet, and these clones aren't tough enough to handle mistakes." Naruto said.

"Hop? What? Dance? Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Spatial awareness." Naruto said, parroting the dictionary. "Spatial awareness is the ability to be aware of oneself in space. It is an organised knowledge of objects in relation to oneself in that given space. Spatial awareness also involves understanding the relationship of these objects when there is a change of position."

Sasuke frowned.

"I'm trying to practice not crashing." Naruto explained.

As if to prove his point two clones bumped each other and dispelled, their partners shrugged and paired up with each other. Another pair stepped on some thorns and disappeared as well.

"Naruto? What you said earlier about preparation. What have you done?" Sakura asked.

"That would be telling" Naruto said.

* * *

Kakashi turned up two hours and ninety eight clones later. Naruto dispelled his horde and got several weeks of dancing practice. He shook the dancing out of his head and got ready for a survival test. Sasuke and Sakura stood up from where they had been sitting against two of the three posts in the training ground.

"You're late." Muttered Sakura, she was too werided out to yell at him.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked, he'd been expecting a louder welcome, he took his earplugs out.

"I guess." Sakura said.

"Did something happen?" Kakashi asked warily.

"Naruto was dancing." Sasuke said.

"Oh." Kakashi said. He looked at Naruto strangely and the blonde shrugged.

"Survival test. Right." Kakashi tried to focus again. He held up a pair of bells. "The three of you need to try and get these bells of me before midday." Naruto glanced at the sun, it was about ten.

"You will not succeed unless you come at me ready to kill."

"But Sensei, there are only two bells" Sakura said. Kakashi nodded.

"That's right, one of you will fail this test. The person who doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the academy, and…" Kakashi held up two bento boxes "Won't get lunch either." He eye smiled proudly at them. Three stomachs grumbled.

"This test is evil." Naruto complained. "We'll just have to be more evil." He leapt at Kakashi to grab a bell. Kakashi caught his hand easily so Naruto dropped to the ground and scissored his legs to topple the man. Kakashi lazily stepped over the move and caught Naruto with his arm behind his back. Naruto scrabbled for the bells but couldn't reach them. Kakashi held him down.

"I haven't said start yet."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"Well then, Start!"

Naruto performed a front flip to try and get out of Kakashi's hold. It was a risky technique as if you didn't angle yourself perfectly you would dislocate your arm. Naruto failed, and the injury was enough to dispel what was actually a clone.

Several more Narutos leapt at Kakashi from behind but they all failed to get him. Kakashi disappeared into the surrounding trees. Naruto was hiding on the opposite side of the clearing. He closed his eyes and meditated for a moment.

_This is Naruto, Where is he going?_

_He's after Sasuke. Can we get started?_

_No, I want to see how this plays out._

_He'll kick Sasuke's ass, this guy is good._

_Keep me posted, I need to work out this test, something is fishy here. Naruto out._

In a moment Naruto changed connections to a different clone.

_Did we get the bells swapped?_

_No, he pulled them out from under his couch, they were lost._

_Anything that could help work out what this test is really about?_

_Not really, but we found some interesting books, Icha Icha, including the limited edition, signed. We're copying it now._

_Are you a faulty clone? I'm not a pervert!_

_Yes you are, or you will be once you get the memories of this stuff, it's actually really well written._

_It better be, or I'll never trust a clone again. Naruto's out._

Naruto sat down and started thinking. He couldn't work it out. It really didn't make sense, there was no possible reason for there to be two bells there should have been three.

_Are you absolutely sure there are no more bells in the house?_

_We were thinking about that, we've looked everywhere and there aren't any._

_He'd have gotten a third bell if he wanted it, so why are there only two?_

_He could have only brought one and had you work together. Why didn't he? Unless…_

_You, my clone, are a genius. The aim of the test is to work together even though we think one of us will fail. I'll need the others._

Naruto sat up, he was quite sure he had the test worked out. He sent two clones to watch Sakura and get her help, and then he went to find Sasuke. Still he was annoyed, he'd guessed the test would be about preparing for a battle before it happened, now he wouldn't get to test his clones against Kakashi. Or maybe he would, just to see who would win.

* * *

Kakashi had just beaten Sasuke, the Uchiha had impressed him, even touched the bells, but Kakashi had left him buried up to his neck in the ground. Sakura hadn't done nearly as well, Kakashi's D ranked genjutsu of Sasuke dying had practically given her a mental breakdown.

Kakashi was almost hoping for Naruto to attack him again, at least the blonde made interesting conversation. He got his wish.

The trees around Kakashi filled with clones. Over a hundred of them.

"I worked out the test." One of the Narutos said proudly.

"Did you really?" Kakashi asked mildly, he glanced around, there was no Sasuke or Sakura to be seen, Naruto probably hadn't worked out the test.

"Yep, but we need some time, that's why we are here to delay you. But if we get the bells now?" The Naruto smiled. "Well that's just an added bonus."

Meanwhile Naruto had got Sasuke and Sakura together and was trying to explain the test to them. Sasuke was furious at his defeat and wouldn't listen, Sakura was overjoyed Sasuke was alive and also wouldn't listen.

_He's tearing us apart, you've only got about eight minutes!_

Naruto needed a way to shock them into agreement. Fortunately he had both Shadow clones and transformation jutsu, everything he needed.

"Yo." Said Kakashi from a nearby tree. "Having fun yet?"

Sasuke blasted a fireball at him. Kakashi just poofed into smoke and walked out from behind the same tree moments later.  
"You are failing this test you know"

Sasuke and Sakura froze.

"Your teammate has been telling the truth. So the question is: should I fail you now, or give you one more chance?"

"Kakashi" let Sakura beg for a few moments, and then he disappeared. Naruto grinned thinking he should have clones transform into Kakashi at every opportunity.

Back where the real Kakashi was fighting Naruto's clones the remaining clones all turned into him and started dancing.

* * *

Several minutes later Kakashi met three Narutos in the forest.  
"What exactly was that?" He demanded.

"Dancing." Naruto said, as if this was perfectly obvious. (which it was)

"Why did you turn your clones into me and make them dance?" Kakashi demanded again.

"To see the look on your face." Naruto smiled. Kakashi glared at the three Narutos, then they attacked him.

Two of them attacked immediately while the other hung back. Assuming that was the real one Kakashi appeared behind it to catch it, but his hands went straight through it. He realised it wasn't a shadow clone and it wasn't the real Naruto either. It was a normal clone, and Naruto couldn't do those. Sakura appeared behind him and tried to kick him, but he caught her easily and threw her away, her Naruto clone vanished as she fell. The other two Naruto's closed in and began their attack. Kakashi immediately noticed one was using very different taijutsu to the other. Kakashi hit one and it dispelled, Naruto's Shadow clone. The other suddenly dropped its transformation revealing it to be Sasuke. For a second time Sasuke almost touched a bell, but Kakashi evaded him and then quickly tied both him and Sakura to trees.

Sakura was yelling at him while Sasuke just tried to look dignified, but where was Naruto?

Kakashi barely dodged a flying kick to the face, he hit the Naruto and the blonde disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"We worked together, does that mean we pass?" Naruto asked. Two more Narutos were helping Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi shrugged

"Well you never got a bell" He said. Naruto smiled,

"I've been waiting for this. Kakashi sensei…"

"Yes?"

"Bring it on." Naruto ran at Kakashi, then he got a sudden memory from a clone that had been training.  
"YEAH I DON'T NEED A RASENGAN!"

Kakashi was bewildered on so many levels. How did Naruto know about Rasengan? Why did he say he didn't need it? And why was he randomly yelling in the middle of a serious fight? Kakashi was bewildered on about three levels then.

"Are you okay Naruto?"

"I DON'T NEED A RASENGAN!" Kakashi began to have grave fears for his student's sanity.

"Rasengan?"

"Oh, yeah, we're fighting aren't we?" Naruto seemed to remember Kakashi existed.

"Yes" Kakshi said doubtfully.

"I've won!" Naruto declared. Kakashi decided to save his dignity and just not comment.

"Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven…"

Kakashi looked around warily nothing was happening but he was getting worried. Naruto was disturbing him and the countdown was messing with his head.

"Five…"

_Are we go?_

_Ready._

_Don't hurt him too much._

_If you insist._

"Three… Two…"

Kakashi grabbed his headband and uncovered his Sharingan eye, looking around in panic. His clothes caught his attention immediately. They were made of pure chakra.

"One."

Kakashi was obscured by smoke as his ninja flak jacket disappeared in a white cloud. He jolted suddenly and landed barefoot on the ground as his shoes disappeared. The bells chimed once as they hit the ground, no longer supported by Kakashi's belt. That was when Kakashi's unease turned into true fear.

His legs felt rather breezy, and air was cold on a very private area. Kakashi felt a chill run up his spine that had nothing to do with his shirt's disappearance.

That was the moment when Kakashi screamed.

Then came the moment when the last clone, his headband, detonated in a massive explosion.

Next came the moment, as Naruto laughed manically and the dust settled over the smoking form of Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke swore never to tease the blonde lunatic again.

Several weeks later Kakashi was released from Konoha hospital, his dignity and his hair burnt to ashes, that was around the moment Naruto, backed by several hundred of his clones, declared himself a genius. Nobody argued.

* * *

"We have time."

"You are insane."

Pain couldn't accept it, Akatsuki wasn't ready, the nine Bijuu were not to be taken lightly, they didn't have the money they needed, the resources they needed. Suddenly this… Kid! Was here, with his blank face and monotonous voice, blandly informing him that Akatsuki would need to have seven of the tailed beasts before the upcoming Konoha chunin exams. It was insane, Pain had wasted no time in saying so.

"This is ridiculous! I won't let you just come in here and take control of Akatsuki." Pain walked away, silently counting to ten sheep.

"A superiority complex? You have changed much in three years Nagato." The boy called after him.

"Shut up!" Pain screamed.

"You did claim you were a god. I have miscalculated, this should have been obvious."

Counting sheep wasn't working, Pain was furious.

"Who do you think you are?" He hissed venomously.

"My name was Kadabi, but I fail to see why that is of relevance." The boy said. Then he vanished. Moments later he had reappeared back in the larger chamber where the other Akatsuki were gathered. Pain stalked back to the room, planning a brutal murder.

"We have work to do."

"Why should we listen to you?" Hidan said. "You're just a kid."

Kadabi didn't seem to hear the complaint.

"I know the positions of three of the Bijuu, the Nibi, Sanbi and Hachibi. Two can be located in lightning country. Itachi, Sasori, Kisame and Kakazu will capture them. Subtlety is necessary, once both beasts have been obtained Sasori shall remain to ensure the fourth shinobi war does not start too early."

If the Akatsuki was surprised by what was going on they didn't show it, except for Hidan, who started complaining. He was once again ignored, mostly.

"The Sanbi is located in a lake in the land of mist, This requires much less delicacy. In fact it may be necessary to destroy the whole country, Deidara and Hidan shall capture it, I shall accompany them."

"Killing?" Hidan asked, "Explosions?" Deaidra said at the same time.

"Both, and lots of them." Kadabi said with the faintest hint of a smile. Hidan grinned eagerly, maybe this kid wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**AN: Tensions are building. The bad guys are coming. Clones are dancing.**

**That should be this stories' catchphrase, I may have to put it in the summary. The moral of this chapter is: Don't mess with Naruto. Don't worry about Naruto being OP, he isn't, but he is dangerous and his enemies will learn it the hard way. (He doesn't actually have any enemies yet but he's assuming they'll show up sooner or later.)**

**Please read and review. you are reading this now, so thanks for that... review too please.**

**-4D**


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